Incidental Matchmaker
by uprisingdragon
Summary: Robin always tried to keep away from the public eye, but everything was turned upside down when the theme for Prom was announced: Sadie Hawkins. After helping Sumia ask her crush to the dance, she is suddenly bombarded with more requests. Since when had she become the matchmaker?
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone! This is a new story! It's been a few years since I wrote "Shepherd's Song", and after re-reading it, I wanted to take a slightly different approach to the High School AU. This idea came to me when watching _Pretty in Pink _(Even though this story has little to nothing to do with that movie, other than the Prom), and I thought it would be super cute! I don't want to give away any of the couples in this story because I want it to be a surprise, but if you know me, you have a pretty good idea of who is going to end up with who. That being said, I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

"Chrom, will you go to the dance with me?"

Robin didn't know how she did it, but her ears picked up Cordelia's question from the opposite side of the cafeteria. The white haired girl unconsciously dropped her spoon back in her soup as she craned her neck to get a better peek at the two in the distance; Cordelia was holding up a hand-made sign, and judging by the sight of her and Chrom hugging, he had said yes.

The seventeen year old quickly averted her gaze when she saw Chrom's head start to turn towards her. Good for him. She had figured that he'd having a hard time asking someone to the dance with his lack of grace, but she should have known he'd have a date in seconds as soon as the theme was announced: Sadie Hawkins. It meant that only girls were allowed to ask guys to be their dates. If anything, it surprised her that it took this long for someone to ask him.

She saw a head of red hair lean down from the corner of her eye, obviously trying to gain her attention," Hey Bubbles, you good?"

"Why wouldn't I be, Gaius?" She replied to her best friend. While her and Chrom's surprise companionship had blossomed as soon as they became lab partners, her truest friend was Gaius. They met when she was still in the foster system, and had stuck it out together ever since. Sure, he could be annoying sometimes and, while he didn't ask for trouble, he was still pretty uninterested in keeping up his grades. He was the opposite of Robin's Type A personality, but they were long past not getting along. If anything, Gaius was more of a sibling to her than Aversa would ever be.

He chewed on the sucker in her mouth, his lips tainted slightly green from the artificial lime flavoring," Didn't you say you had the hots for-."

"-I did not!" The white haired girl squeaked, sending pointed looks towards the other patrons at their table; Henry, a fellow system kid who had been sticking around the two for a while, remained thankfully oblivious as he flipped through a chemistry textbook. Panne either ignored his comment or didn't care. It was only Tharja that seemed to hear. Robin wouldn't have noticed if she hadn't heard the pencil the girl had been using to write snap in half," We're just friends."

Gaius rose his eyebrow in amusement, deciding that this situation was much too interesting to let slide," Just friends? Uh uh, you can't lie to me. I sat through way too many football games this year for you to just let this go," He bit down on the sucker, causing an audible crack," I can break them up. I'm not a fan of Cordelia anyway. She called me dirty, and not in the fun way."

Robin only acknowledged his last comment by thwacking his forehead," Don't do that. If Chrom wants to go to the Prom with Cordelia, then he's entitled to his own feelings."

"You like _Chrom_?!" The pair's attention was yanked back to Tharja, who still held the broken pencil remnants in her hand," I will fix that."

The white haired girl pinched the brim of her nose and groaned," No, you _won't_," As much as she loved her friends, they could be a handful at times. She had hoped Tharja would be over her feelings for her by this point, but that would be too much to ask, wouldn't it? They had dated two years ago, and the breakup was mutual! And Gaius seemed more interested in causing chaos than helping her. He always liked watching how things played out.

She sent a pleading glance to Henry and nearly blacked out when she was met with Lissa leaning over his shoulders. They were an odd couple, what with them being complete opposites; Henry was an outcast who liked visiting abandoned factories to look for ghosts, and Lissa was a cheerleader who volunteered weekends at the local animal shelter. Band seemed to be the only thing the two had in common, but somehow they were going two months strong in their relationship. Despite Chrom's complaints about his sister being too young to date, Robin thought they were cute together.

Had she heard anything? While Robin didn't know Lissa too personally, she knew that the girl couldn't keep a secret. Chrom would know by the end of the day," Uh…h-hey Lissa."

The blonde glanced over at Robin and sent her a cheerful smile," Hi Robin! Did you see? Chrom's going to the dance with Cordelia! Here I thought that dolt wouldn't get a date. I was already prepared to bribe you into going with him," She added teasingly.

The seventeen year old let out a small exhale in relief through her nose. Lissa would not have said any of that if she had overheard the gossip about Robin's crush," Lucky him."

The cheerleader furrowed her eyebrows at the girl's unenthusiastic response. If there was anything Lissa was good at, it was being perceptive of people's emotions," Gaius, what's up with Robin?"

The redhead's eyes flickered from one girl to the other before shooting to his feet," I'd love to answer, Princess, but I've got my tutoring session today. Don't want to keep Stumbles waiting," He ruffled Henry's hair and thwacked Robin's nose in retaliation before leaving, smirking as said girl tried to wave him off," See you guys later."

Lissa took his seat, watching curiously as he exited the cafeteria," Did he say tutoring? I thought Gaius didn't care about his grades…or school in general."

"He doesn't!" Henry contributed chipperly," I get it. I like science, but the other subjects aren't really my thing. Only the squares ever do well in Geometry," Lissa's giggles drowned out the rest of the table's protests at the terrible pun.

Robin stirred her soup smugly, deciding now was a fabulous time for some revenge," He's only going to tutoring because he thinks one of the girls there is cute."

This grabbed Lissa's attention," What? Who? Tell me! I promise I won't tell anyone!" She clasped her hands together in a prayer formation," Please!"

"If I knew who it was, I'd tell you," That wasn't completely true, but at least Robin wasn't lying about not knowing who this mystery girl was. Neither Robin or Gaius were open about their romantic feelings, which was why it surprised her so much when he brought up her crush to catch her off guard when playing video games. It worked; not only did she lose the game, but her pride alongside it," I don't even know if it's serious or anything. I only know because I offered to help him and he said his tutor was cuter than me," Tharja let out an offended gasp at that. Panne just let out a low, amused laugh that Robin would have missed if she didn't know any better.

Lissa squealed," That's so cute! Who do you think it is? It can't be Miriel. She's dating Vaike, and he would snap Gaius in two."

"I said I don't know," Robin propped her chin in the palm of her hand," Maybe she'll ask him to the dance."

0-0-0

Robin thrummed her fingers anxiously as she sat in chemistry next to Chrom. There was a substitute teacher in today, so they had been assigned a packet to work on until the bell rang. The two friends would usually use this time to chat with each other, but Robin had no idea what do say. Congratulations on your date? No, that'd be weird because he didn't bring it up. She didn't want to seem like a stalker. Do you want to hang out later? No, that didn't work out either. What if he and Cordelia were dating now? He never mentioned liking her before, but maybe her confession awakened new feelings inside of him. She didn't want to seem like she was interested in him if he was dating another girl. That would just be wrong on so many levels. The weather's nice? No, he would see right through her. You only brought up the weather when there was nothing else to say.

"Hey, I saw you talking with Lissa earlier," Robin blinked out of her trance when Chrom spoke up," I'm glad you two are getting along."

This was good. If he lead the conversation, she didn't need to avoid coming up with topics," Yeah, she's a sweet girl. Her and Henry are good together," Chrom grumbled at that, causing her to chuckle," It's been eight weeks. He is a very close friend of mine, and I would know if he had bad intentions for her," Robin decided to flutter her eyelashes for added affect," You trust me, don't you?"

His frown disappeared as quickly as it came," How can I say no to a face like that?"

"Good answer."

There were a few beats of silence before he spoke again," So what were you two talking about?"

For the briefest second, Robin thought she was going to have a heart attack. It was only when she remembered that she had talked about her crush on Chrom before Lissa joined that she was able to steady her breathing," Hmm? Oh. We were talking about Gaius. We think he has a crush on someone."

Chrom titled his head, sticking his tongue out slightly as he finished up an equation," I thought he had a crush on you."

The white haired girl couldn't help the loud laugh that sprung from her lips. She slapped a hand over her lips and shrank under the scrutinizing glare the substitute send her. Her lab partner snickered at her misfortune, earning a nasty look himself. Robin only resumed the conversation when Vaike broke a beaker, successfully diverting the teacher's attention," Gaius and I are like siblings. He'd date anyone before me."

"Even me?" He asked bemusedly.

"Even you."

Chrom observed her for a few seconds before shrugging," Okay. I believe you. I just know from experience that when a guy likes a girl, he tries to spend as much time around her as possible. At least, that's what I told Sumia," Robin rose her eyebrow, silently prompting him to elaborate," She was debating asking someone to the dance. Wouldn't tell me who, though."

She sent a fleeting glance towards said girl, who was sitting across the aisle from them. Sumia had obviously been listening in on their conversation, because she suddenly seemed hyper-focused on the paper in front of her. Being as smart as she was, busy work should have been a breeze for her. Then again, Robin didn't know the girl that well. It wasn't that she disliked her or anything; they just fell in different social groups. Sumia was the goody-two-shoes teacher's pet, and Robin was a silent hipster with a collarbone tattoo peeking out from underneath her school uniform.

"Uh…Robin?" She shook her thoughts away and turned back to him expectantly," Are you okay? You keep zoning out."

The seventeen year old prayed that the blush she felt creeping onto her cheeks wasn't as prevalent as she thought it was," M'Fine. Just tired, that's all."

She felt her shoulders sag in relief when he nodded in agreement. He really was oblivious, wasn't he? It was a wonder she fell for him at all. When they had been partnered together at the beginning of the year, Robin had thought fate was playing a cruel joke on her. Two years before, she had been the last one changing after gym and Chrom had accidentally walked in on her. He claimed that he thought that he was in the boys locker room, and apologized left and right for it. Robin felt the awkward air between them would never dissipate.

And then…she didn't really know how it happened. He had broken the tension between them by being super nice during Chemistry. She found herself becoming more and more comfortable with him, but she figured he didn't feel the same way. Next thing she knew, she was sitting in the football stands in 20° weather. She thought the friendship was one sided until he woke up at the crack of dawn to drive her to an out of town kendo tournament. That seemed to be the kicker, because they hung out nonstop after that. Whether it was showing up at the midnight premiere of a movie or seeing the new exhibit at the zoo, Chrom was always someone she could go on an adventure with. He was always willing to try something new with her, and he didn't seem to care where she came from. That was what she liked about him.

Robin sighed, deciding to divert the subject before her mind could swirl into a silly spiral," Hey, I hear that it's family night at the museum tonight. Do you want to find a kid to borrow so that we can get in for free?"

Chrom's face cracked into a smile," I'm sure Emmeryn knows plenty of children. Someone's bound to let us take them for a night."

0-0-0

Robin nearly jumped out of her skin when she closed her locker and found Sumia patiently waiting behind it," Shit! Sumia, where'd you come from?"

The brunette shyly tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, hugging her books close to her chest," Sorry! I thought you saw me. I've been here for a few minutes."

Geez, she was really distracted today. This Cordelia-Chrom situation must have hit her harder than she initially thought," It's okay, I was just surprised. What's up? Did you forget something from Chemistry?"

Sumia shook her head," Nope! I was actually wondering if I you wanted to hang out."

This…was new. Robin knew that Sumia was friends with pretty much everyone, but that didn't mean she sought people out. As nice as she was, there had to be an ulterior motive," Why?"

She glanced back and forth, scanning the hallways to see if anyone was listening in on their conversation. Robin didn't know what this accomplished; if anything, her overexaggerated movements brought more attention to the pair," I need your help with something."

"With…homework?"

"Nope!" She popped the 'p' and smiled embarrassedly," With Gaius."

Robin blinked once. Then she blinked again. Gaius? As in her Gaius? As in the boy that got detention because he broke into the school store to steal candy? _That_ Gaius? How did Sumia know Gaius? The two of them knowing each other made as much sense as Tharja suddenly falling for Vaike," W-What?"

Sumia wrapped both her hands around her arm, coaxing her towards the exit of the school," Can you tell me more about him?"

A wave of spring air hit them as the left the doors. Robin fumbled for her sunglasses, watching in amusement as Sumia embraced the sun. A small voice in her head nagged not to trust Sumia just yet, but it was hard to listen to that when she seemed so sweet," What do you want to know?"

She pursed her lips thoughtfully," Hmm…what's his favorite color?"

Robin couldn't help the small laugh that leapt out," Green. You know, I figured you'd want something more personal than that when you ambushed me."

"That's not the only question I have, silly!" Sumia giggled back," Erm…what's his Hogwarts house?"

That seemed very in-line with something she'd ask," Ravenclaw with Slytherin tendencies. Let me guess; you're a Hufflepuff?"  
"With Ravenclaw tendencies," The brunette added proudly," You're a Slytherin, aren't you?"

Robin felt a small smirk play on her lips," Why do you say that? Do I seem evil to you?"

Sumia immediately began to backpedal," No, not at all-."

"Is it because of the tattoos?"

"N-No!" She pouted," I just figured that sense you're super clever and you seem ambitious," Her classmate crossed her arms," Why? Are you not a Slytherin?"

The white haired girl grinned," I'm a Ravenclaw, but I have Slytherin tendencies. Gaius and I are one in the same," She decided that these questions were all fun and games, but seeing that they were walking home together, her father could easily spot them. He didn't like the concept of her having friends, especially those that were close to the Exalt family. He was drop dead if he found out she harbored feelings for Chrom. They needed to speed things along," Why are you asking these things anyway?"

A soft blush spread across Sumia's cheeks," Well, Prom is coming up and-."

"You're going to ask Gaius to Prom?!"

"N-No! Yes? Oh, I don't know," She kicked her toe in a crack in the sidewalk dejectedly," I always thought that you two were dating, but I overheard you and Chrom talking earlier and was surprised to find out you weren't."

Robin felt a wave of pride wash over her when she realized her instincts had been correct. That didn't keep her from teasing," You were eavesdropping?"

"I wouldn't call it eavesdropping! I would call it listening in," Sumia tittered," I tried to get it out of Gaius, but he's always been so secretive around me. I don't think he's trying to be rude, he just has walls he's built up. I get it. Being in the Foster System is tough," She squeezed Robin's arm supportively, decidedly not pushing the topic beyond that. Robin didn't say it aloud, but she appreciated it," I wouldn't have treated him any different than anyone else, but he's trying really hard and he's a great listener. He's trying to convince me that I'm not a disaster," Sumia smiled nervously," He's always so nice to me during our study sessions-."

Robin stopped dead in her tracks, unintentionally yanking Sumia back with her," I'm sorry, did you say _study sessions_?"

"Yeah…?" She smiled nervously," I'm his tutor."

Sumia was his tutor. Sumia was the girl he thought was cute! And if what Chrom was saying earlier was true, she was thinking about asking someone to the dance. Gaius had to be that someone! Here Robin thought they would never talk to each other, when in reality, they were smitten as kittens!

Robin brought her fist up to her lips to conceal the excited squeal that tried to spring forth. She was just as bad as Lissa, but when it came to Gaius, she didn't really care if she looked ridiculous," You like him, don't you?!"

Her blush came back at full force," Geez, was I that obvious?"

"No—No, you're fine! Perfect, even," Robin couldn't wait. Gaius was finally going to have a nice girlfriend instead of a hookup. She could already imagine all the cute dates they'd go on," You _have_ to ask him to the Prom."

Suddenly, Sumia seemed very hesitant," Oh, I don't know…I didn't plan ahead this far," Robin was mentally battling whether or not she should comfort the girl and jumped back when the brunette perked up," Hey, you know him really well! How do you think I should ask him out?"

The seventeen year old felt herself grow wary. If Gaius found out she was meddling with his love life, he wouldn't be too happy. There was also the factor that if he said no, Sumia would be crushed. Robin didn't want that on her conscious," I'm sorry, but-."

"Please?" Much like Lissa did early, the girl clasped her hands together in a prayer. She even went so far as to get on her knees," Please, please, please, please-."

Robin glanced around awkwardly, shrinking underneath the odd looks passerby gave the pair," If I say yes, will you stop?"

Sumia responded by shrieking in joy and jumping up to wrap the girl into a rib-crushing hug," Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

0-0-0

When Robin had given Sumia the plan, she felt confident. It was simple; she use her legendary baking skills to make Gaius his favorite cake, present it to him during their study session, and pop the question. Her new friend seemed positive that her brother figure would say yes, but the pastry was there to sweeten the deal.

Now that Sumia was standing in front of the door with a cake in her hand, she felt all the nerves she had previously buried bubble up. She could hear him tapping his pencil impatiently inside, and if she took any longer building up her courage, he would leave. She didn't want another Chrom situation where she baked a pie for him, only to talk herself out of asking him out. All that left her with was an empty heart and a rhubarb pie in her locker. No, this time would be different! She was a junior, for Pete's sake. She could handle this.

With one deep breath, she pushed the door open and bounced in," Hi Gaiu—Ah!"

One minute she was headed towards the redhead, the next she was headed towards the ground. Her landing was seemingly softer than usual, but the embarrassment that came with it hurt more than the impact would have,"…Ouch…"

She heard Gaius rise to his feet and cross to meet her on the ground," Woah there, Stumbles. You alright?"

The brunette pushed herself off the ground, dread filling her every being when she heard a sickening splat hit the ground. Her eyes slowly trailed from Gaius's own green ones to her perfectly made cake on the ground. Well…it wasn't perfect anymore. Three hours of her night had gone to waste, squashed with a Sumia imprint on the top.

Chickening out seemed like a pretty good option now.

Sumia felt her eyes begin to pool up in mortification. She could have waltzed in singing gibberish and made less of a fool of herself! Robin would be so disappointed in her, and she wanted desperately to impress her new friend. Now Gaius probably wouldn't even want her to tutor him anymore with the dunce she made of herself. Stupid, stupid, stupid!

She felt Gaius lean in slightly," Er…Stumbles?"

As soon as she saw his hand reaching for her, she did the only thing she thought she could do; she bolted. Sumia burst through the door and into the hallway, ignoring the cafeteria crowd as she fumbled towards the nearest bathroom. It seemed like the gods were not going to provide her any mercy today, because she tripped over her own feet and bit it on the hard, linoleum floor.

Sumia didn't even have time to process what had just happened before a strong grip on her shoulders guided her into a sitting position. One of the hands remained stable on her shoulder while the other reached up to gently grip her chin," Jeez, Stumbles. I feel like I should just carry you around with all the wipeouts you have."

Despite Gaius's lighthearted tone, she couldn't help the warm tears that blazed tracks down her cheeks. Her cake was ruined, she had ruined her reputation in front of the boy she liked, and her forehead really hurt from the second impact. How could this day get any worse? Sumia resisted the urge to wipe her runny nose with the back of her hand," S-Sorry. Your c-cake is—it's r-ruined."

He took a few seconds to fully process what she was saying," My cake? Why'd you make me a cake? Is this some added bonus for the kids you tutor, or am I a special exception?" He wiggled his eyebrows playfully," If I had known you played favorites, I would have started sucking up sooner."

Sumia sniffled," I don't play favorites…"

"Not yet," The redhead smirked, using the pad of his thumb to wipe away a stray tear," Seriously though, you okay? You hit your noggin pretty hard, there."

She unconsciously brought one of her hands up to gingerly touch the bruise. Despite her wince, Sumia shook it off," I'm fine. It happens all the time," With that said, she dropped her face in her hands in shame," I'm so sorry, Gaius. I spent so much time baking you that cake so that I could ask you to the dance, and now you probably think I'm some idiot that-."

"Woah, woah, woah," He gingerly pried her head from its hiding spot with a light grin," If you wanted to ask me to the dance, you could've just done so. I'm a pretty laid back guy."

Wait…was he implying what she thought he was? There was no way he wanted to go to the dance with her after she destroyed his cake, started crying like a baby, and made a fool out of herself. But when she stared into his emerald green eyes, all she could see was sincerity," O-Oh. Well…" He rose his eyebrow, as if silently encouraging her to soldier through," Do you want to go to the Prom with me?"

A teasing grin crossed his features," Let's see…," Much to her mortification, he reached his finger forward and scooped a dollop of frosting from off her chest to eat. Was he this casual about everything?! Her face felt like it was about to burst into flames when she caught his coy expression," This is pretty good. Maybe make me another cake like this and I'll think about it."

"Oh…Okay. Don't feel pressured or anything-."

"Just pulling your leg, Stumbles," Gaius took both of her hands in his and hoisted her off the ground, watching in a mixture of amusement and disappointment as stray chunks of cake fell from her chest onto the hall floor. The janitors would have a field day with the mess the two of them had made," What color should I wear?"

* * *

**Alrighty, now that you have finished reading, lets get into it! Every chapter is going to focus on a different couple and how they get asked to Prom (_cough cough, the ridiculous situation Robin and her friends get themselves into_). This chapter, obviously, was focused on Sumia and Gaius! They are one of my favorite in-game couples because I think they balance each other out the best out of Sumia's relationships. He brings up her confidence, and she softens him. Plus, they both like sweets. Who could ask for more? Poor Robin is pining after Chrom, who got snatched up faster than front-row tickets. Their storyline is one that will continue on through this entire series (Which I'm thinking will be 5 chapters? We'll see). **

**Speaking of this series, I will say that I am currently writing another fic (Glib Banter, go check it out!). That one does currently take priority, but this is something I'm writing on the side to keep myself creatively stimulated. I haven't really written anything in the past year, so my summer goal is to get back into that. That means I don't know how often this will be updated, but I'm hoping to crack out the whole story by the end of the summer! Do you guys have any predictions for who is going to get together after this? I haven't really hinted at anything yet, just because I want each chapter to be a spotlight on the characters within it. Once they're introduced, they will be more present in the story. Anyways, I always love to hear your guys' feedback! Thank you for reading, and I'll see you soon!**

**-Uprisingdragon**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! I hope I haven't lost your attention, haha. If you need a quick re-cap from the last chapter, I am more than happy to supply it to you! Robin has a crush on Chrom, but missed her opportunity to ask him to the dance when Cordelia beat her to it. While trying to push past it, she discovers that something is going on between her childhood friend, Gaius, and one of the smartest girls in school, Sumia. Robin gives Sumia some advice, and while she blunders that plan they made, Gaius says yes to the dance. **

**Here's a little cheat sheet for this week's chapter, which will heavily revolve around Kendo (a Japanese form of fencing with two-handed bamboo swords, originally devloped as a safe form of sword training). I actually did some research about the sport, and it's super cool! Sorry if I didn't get all the rules in the chapter, but I tried my best! Below are some of the terms I'm going to refer to:**

**Men: Head**

**Kote: Wrists**

**Do: Torso**

**Tsuki: Throat**

**Shinai: The Bamboo Sword**

**Take a wild guess who's going to be in this chapter. **

**That's where we left off! I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

When Robin appeared at lunch the next day, the last person she expected to see sitting chipperly at the table was Sumia. The brunette perked up when she saw her new friend enter the room and wildly motioned for the junior to sit next to her. Gaius was too deep in a conversation with Henry about new video game mechanics for her to silently question what was going on, so she settled on following Sumia's quiet request," What're you doing here—Oomph?!"

She was cut off when the girl wrapped her arms around her and squeezed tightly," It worked! Not in the way I had hoped it would. Not at all, actually…," She trailed off, a light blush coloring her cheeks," But that doesn't matter! Gaius and I are going to the prom together!"

Robin felt an awkward smile cross her cheeks as her ribs threatened to break," That's nice. Can you let me go?" She wheezed," I can't breathe."

"Oh, sorry!" Sumia released the girl and scooted away, her hands neatly folded in her lap. She looked out of place among the sea of dark clothing and borderline edgy styles, like a tulip sitting in a giant briar patch. If she was uncomfortable, she wasn't letting it show," You know, I told some of my friends about you."

The white haired tilted her head, surprised that her name was brought up in Sumia's social circle," Oh?"

The girl nodded before lowering her voice to a whisper," I think one of them needs your help," Robin merely rose her eyebrow in response. Who was she? The matchmaker? She didn't find herself a particularly convincing person, and the only reason she got involved with Sumia was because she wanted what was best for Gaius," Do you know Olivia Thibodaux?"

"Olivia?" Robin repeated blankly, recognition immediately nagging at her. She was Captain Basilio's goddaughter. She had met the police captain through her last foster parent, Flavia, before getting adopted by Validar. She remembered spending a lot of time at the station when she was in her early teens, and Olivia and Lon'qu were usually there alongside her.

She had to admit, she knew Lon'qu far better than Olivia. Much like her, the boy was brought up in the foster system after his dad died in the war. He was adopted by Basilio far before Robin even entered Flavia's home, but the two seemed to empathize with each other more than either parent could. They didn't get to talk as much anymore, but they were on the same Kendo team.

Sumia nodded, deciding that Robin's lack of response was from confusion instead of deep thought," She's the vice president of the theatre club and the captain of the dance team! I know it sounds like she would have loads of confidence, but she's actually pretty shy. She's been trying to work up the courage to ask her crush out all week, but every time she has chickened out," Her smile grew," I was thinking you might be able to help her?"

Robin wasn't the type of person to care what other people thought of her, but turning down Sumia felt like kicking a puppy. She brought her voice down to a whisper so that the other members at the table couldn't hear them," I'm sorry…but I think that was a one time thing. I was only able to help you because I've known Gaius my whole life. I'm sure that whoever Olivia has a crush on wants nothing to do with me."

The brunette sighed dejectedly, turning her attention back down to her salad. She tried playing it off as her being hungry, but Robin could sense her defeated demeanor from a mile away," You're right. I shouldn't have asked you, that was silly! How would you know Lon'qu Duong anyway?"

"I'm sorry—Lon'qu Duong?" Despite everything she had just said about not getting involved, Robin was suddenly very interested in the pitch," As in, the Captain of the Kendo Team? That Lon'qu?"

Sumia smiled cluelessly," I don't think there are any other Lon'qus?"

Robin huffed out a small laugh, baffled at how the cards had turned out. She should have known Olivia had a crush on him. When they were 13, she would always try to talk to him about everything and anything. Robin was a little jealous at first because Olivia was the only girl Lon'qu would let within a one foot radius of him, but now she understood it was because the pink haired girl had a crush on him! Gods, how long had she been harboring her feelings? And how oblivious did Robin have to been to not notice it?

The seventeen year old found herself in a pickle again. Now that she was aware of the potential relationship blooming between her friends, she wanted to push them to confess to each other. However, she wasn't trained in being a matchmaker. If she failed, the consequences could be severe. She needed to put all her eggs in a basket before she made a decision," Do you know if Lon'qu likes her back?"

Sumia shook her head, and to Robin's mortification, turned to Gaius," Do you know if Lon'qu likes Olivia back?"

The redhead's eyes flickered between the two girls, his stare riddled with confusion," You two…know each other?"

"Sort of," Robin replied quickly, less than willing to get into the gritty details of how she set her best friend up with his crush. That was something she'd have to pull out on him later, probably during a gaming tournament. She had to get back at him for the Chrom announcement anyway," Just answer the question."

Gaius chewed his bubblegum pensively, still unwilling to completely drop the subject," What do you mean by 'Sort of'? Are you two study buddies or something?"

Two could play at this game," How do _you_ two know each other, hmm?" Her smirk grew as his dropped," Hold on; Is Sumia the cute-."

"-and that's enough of that," The redhead announced, tilting his head down to hide the blush tickling his cheeks. It was nothing compared to Sumia, who was reduced to incoherent stuttering," Gods, can't a guy ask a question?"

"Robin was the one who coached me in asking you to the prom," Sumia admitted in a scramble to change the subject, unaware of said girl's face heating up in embarrassment," We want to do the same for Olivia and Lon'qu."

Robin thanked her lucky stars that Gaius had a crush on Sumia, because his amused smirk meant that they wouldn't be bringing up the first part of her confession until later. If anything, his face radiated the fact that he found Sumia's sweet nature adorable, no matter how hard he tried to play it cool," You know the dude's scared of girls, right?"

Both teenagers nodded; they had been aware of Lon'qu gynophobia, but bringing it up meant acknowledging the huge challenge ahead of them. Most people assumed it was because he was shy, but Robin knew better. Before he was adopted, he had a friend that got kidnapped when they were playing together. He had only been nine at the time, so there wasn't much he could do to protect her against their assailants. They found the girl's body a week later, and he took it hard. Robin didn't want to be the one to divulge this information to the others, but it did mean that they wouldn't know the full story," So? Maybe he has a sweet spot for Olivia."

Gaius only scoffed," I don't think so. Nothing against Thibodaux, but he's a tough nut to crack. It's a wonder he talks to Bubbles at all."

Sumia flipped around with all the excitement of a child on Christmas morning," You're friends with Lon'qu?!"

"We're on the same Kendo Team," She replied, though her mind was already filling up with different possibilities. Even though he hadn't given her the answer she wanted, Gaius was right about one thing; Robin was one of the only girls Lon'qu could interact with without breaking down. How could she use this to her advantage?

"Uh huh," The teen boy replied derisively," You gonna try to set them up?"

She clenched her fists, her resolve steady and determination filling her up from her toes," I'm not going to _try_; I'm going to _succeed_!" Robin turned to her new friend with a familiar fire burning in her belly," Tell Olivia to meet me after practice. I'm going to set them up if it kills me!"

0-0-0

Robin adjusted the mask on her head with a scowl, wondering if the words she declared earlier that day were actually going to come true. She had tossed around ideas on how to introduce Lon'qu to the idea of dating all day, but ultimately decided that he was a man of action instead of words. Lucky enough for her, they had Kendo Club practice that afternoon. She proposed to Lon'qu that if she managed to land a hit on him, he would go to the dance. He bristled at the very suggestion, but seeing that he was challenged in front of the entire club, refused to back down. She had scored a point against him several times before during practice, and she was ready to be out the door at the end of the day to tell Olivia to get her man.

What she hadn't taken into consideration was that Lon'qu was Captain for a reason. He managed to not only wrack up the most points in their first match, but she hadn't managed to hit his Men, Kote, Do, or Tsuki even once! Had he been going easy on her this whole time? Honestly, Robin was both insulted and impressed.

That had been an hour ago.

Lon'qu watched her warily from the other side of the mat, his gaze borderline concerned as she heaved in the corner. Practice was long since over, but the white haired girl refused to give in. She refused to let the two of them down, even if one of them didn't know what he was really fighting for," You are worn. Go home."

Robin gripped her water bottle to take a swig, ignoring her trembling hands to give off an air of confidence," What, are you getting tired? If you want to throw in the towel and go to the dance, then I'm more than happy to-."

She fought the urge to cry when Lon'qu flipped his mask back down and situated himself opposite of her, signaling the start of another match. Why the hell was she doing this again? It was getting hard to remember over her screaming muscles. With a tiny huff, she flipped her own mask down and mirrored his position. She prayed that he couldn't see how much her Shinai was shaking in her hands.

The two approached their starting positions and crouched before jumping up to be alert. Say'ri had been their referee previously, but she needed to leave twenty minutes ago to go on a date with Tiki. That meant they were going solely on each other's word and timing based off an alarm on Robin's phone.

Despite the lack of a formal setting, the Kendo battle commenced. Robin let out a strangled yell as she lunged forward, swinging her Shinai as fast as she could. Lon'qu saw her movement a mile away and dodged it with precise action, using her recovery time to yell, smack her Kote, and gain himself a point. The two backed away from each other slightly as if to acknowledge Lon'qu's first victory before leaping back into battle. Lon'qu was the first to attack this time, aiming to hit her Men. Robin ducked just in time, but wasn't fast enough to deflect his Shinai against her Do. Great. Another point for Lon'qu.

This went on for another eight minutes before Robin's timer buzzed, informing them that the match had ended. Big shocker: Lon'qu won.

The white haired girl decided that seven matches in a row were too much and collapsed on the gym floor, pulling her mask off to breath in the sticky air. Damnit! She hadn't wanted to let Olivia down, but Lon'qu was a more formidable foe than she previously thought. Maybe she should just give up…

"Are you finally done?"

"N…Nope," Robin silently cursed her stupid pride as she pushed herself into a sitting position once more," I'm not…giving up…," Without warning, she flopped back onto the ground," J-Just give me…a few minutes…to catch…my breath."

Despite his superior skill, even Lon'qu seemed to be growing tired of this," Why are you so determined, woman?" When he was met with Robin's silence, he ran his hand through his sweat-coated hair in annoyance," I wished to spare your feelings, but I do not care to go to the dance with you. Ask someone else."

The seventeen year old huffed out a laugh," You think I want…to go with you?" Robin shook her head breathily," I'm just…the messenger."

Both a wave of relief and confusion washed over Lon'qu. It was good that Robin was uninterested, but that meant another girl had put her up to this. It must be someone close to her, otherwise she would have given in five rounds ago. He was almost angry that she didn't bring this same competitive spirit to actual tournaments, but decided that now was not the time to dwell on that. He needed to find out what girl to avoid," If someone wished to go to the dance with me, they should have asked me themselves."

The teenage girl sighed in defeat," I guess…you're right. She's just…shy…But this is…between you and—oof, that's gonna hurt in the morning," She rubbed her side sorely, regretting every decision she had made in her life up until then. How did she think she was going to beat Lon'qu again?

Unknown to her, one of Robin's comments struck a chord in him," Who?"

"Olivia Thibodaux."

The white haired girl kept her stare focused on the ceiling as she caught her breath, ultimately deciding that all was lost anyway now that Lon'qu knew who she was playing wingman for. She would have to meet with Olivia after practice anyway, seeing that the poor girl had probably been waiting for much longer than anticipated by this point. They would talk it over, form a new plan, and implement it tomorrow. For now, she couldn't wait to get out of her-

She was abruptly pulled from her plans when she felt Lon'qu's Shinai tap the side of her head. Robin furrowed her eyebrows at the boy standing above her, determination clear in his eyes," Get up."

He had to be joking," Lon'qu, I'm ready to turn in for the night if you-."

She yelped when he moved the bamboo weapon down and smacked her forearm with it," I said get up. We need to do another match."

Robin nearly burst into tears," But I don't want to anymore!"

"Are you a coward?" She bristled at his accusation, even though she knew he was egging her on purpose. Was seven straight wins not enough for him? Robin rolled over on her side to give him the cold shoulder," Get up or you're off the team."

The white haired girl leapt up at his threat," You can't do that!" She didn't want to admit it to him, but Kendo Club was one of the only things Validar let her participate in. If she got kicked off, she would be doomed to spend more time at home with that creep and her jerk of a sister. Lon'qu should have understood that better than anyone, yet here he was, suddenly interested in their fight," Fine. You win. Let's go."

Robin set the timer on her phone before the two crouched down, leaping up to start yet another match. Robin let out a cry as she dove forward, her sword neatly landing on something. She peeked up from her fiery gaze on her Shinai to see she had hit him in his Tsuki. Was that…was that a point? Judging by his short break, it definitely meant it was.

After that, she got point after point. It was almost as if he wasn't even fighting her anymore. Why would Lon'qu even do that? He knew that losing meant he would have to go to the Prom with Olivia. So why did he-

Unless…Robin rose her eyebrow. Did he _want_ to go the Prom with Olivia?

Her timer ran out, signifying the underdog's victory. Lon'qu bowed respectfully towards her and murmured a quick," You win," Before strutting out of the gym. The seventeen year old could only gawk after him, trying to wrap her head around what just happened. He hadn't hit her _once _that round.

She didn't have much time to ponder his actions, because the sound of the gym door opening behind her a frantic footsteps approaching redirected her attention. Within a second, Olivia was at her side with Robin's water bottle in hand," What happened? Are you alright?"

The Kendo Athlete gratefully took her water and gulped at least half of it down before huffing out," I'm fine. How long have you been here?"

"I've been watching through the window for 20 minutes now," She murmured in embarrassment, her face turning bright red under Robin's curious stare," What happened between you and Lon'qu?"

"Don't worry, it was just part of my plan," Robin tipped her now empty bottle over with a frown and chucked it towards her bag in the bleachers, missing by a few feet," I said if I got a hit on him, he'd go to the dance."

Olivia's breath stopped at that," A-And did you…?"

A huge grin crossed her features," Yeah."

"Really?!" The dancer squealed and hopped up and down in excitement before quickly collecting herself," Robin, thank you for doing this. I know we haven't talked since…," Even though her voice trailed off, the seventeen year old knew what she was referring to. Flavia was her favorite foster parent, and even though she begged the agency to let her stay with the police captain, it was ultimately decided for her that living with Validar was what was best for her.

After that, she was forbidden from seeing the two families ever again. There were times she wanted to run back to them and explain how horrible Validar truly was, but she never made it out the door. Would they even believe her? Robin always wondered what the agency told Basilio and Flavia, and part of her had a feeling it wasn't positive.

The most she could settle for was Kendo Club. Validar saw it as a team sport that would get her scholarships for college, and unbeknownst to him, Robin was using it as an excuse to spend time with Lon'qu and his family. The short times she ran into them during matches were enough to keep her going.

"It's okay," She conceded slowly, using this time to gather up her belongings," People drift apart."

Olivia dove forward to help, taking her bag so that she didn't have to fumble with her uniform," I-I know, but…," When it became evident that Robin wasn't expecting an explanation, she sighed," Isn't there anything I can do for you in return?"

Robin let a small, sad smile slip through," Can you tell Flavia I said 'Hi'?"

0-0-0

"What happened to you?"

Robin tiredly peeked out from where her head was nestled in her arms on the counter to look at Chrom, who kept looking her over with curiosity. When she woke up the morning after the Kendo Practice she was sure would go on in infamy, every muscle in her body felt as if she had slept with weights on them. She had barely been able to sneak it past Validar and Aversa, but her pain was fair game now that she was at school," I never want to move my body ever again."

He rose his eyebrow in amusement," Tough match?"

"More like tough matches," She mumbled, ignoring the dirty look her teacher was sending her from her desk," I did eight."

"Eight?!"

"In a row."

"In a-," This time when Chrom swept her, his eyes were filled with concern," Why the heck did you do that?"

She should have thought this through better. She couldn't tell him the truth, because that would only bring more questions than answers. Robin could tell him that she just wanted to beat Lon'qu, but she didn't want him to seem weak for losing to her during their last round. It only took her about an hour to piece together that Lon'qu through the match so that Olivia would ask him to Prom, and she didn't want to give people the wrong idea. That only left one option," I asked," She lied weakly.

"Well, yeah, I know," Chrom asserted blatantly," You're not a doormat. What I want to know is _why_ you wanted to fight eight matches in a row."

Curse her friend and his stubborn nature. It looked like she was going to have to settle on a half-truth," Fine. I didn't want to go home last night. Validar has been on my case a lot more lately and I just wanted to stay out of the house."

Chrom fell silent at that, his angry opinion on the matter clearly evident through his clenched jaw. The Exalts and the Grimms, Robin's family, had been rivals ever since Chrom's father opened up a competing business on the other side of town. It took away half of the Grimms' revenue, causing Validar to form a vendetta against the family. Even after Mr. and Mrs. Exalt died in a car accident, the man seemed to want nothing but the worst for the family. He made that much apparent when he slandered Emmeryn during the mayoral election. It was a wonder Chrom and Robin were even friends at all due to their long standing family feud.

After at least five minutes with no response, Robin began to regret bringing her family up in the first place," Chrom?"

"You know, you don't owe anything to that man," He stressed, keeping his focus on the pencil tapping in his hands," If you don't want to go home, you shouldn't have to. A-And I know that he doesn't really let you participate in as many sports and clubs as you want to, but that's just—it's just stupid," Robin felt her own face heat up when she caught specks of pink sneak onto his cheeks," If you ever need a place to stay, you can always come to me. Emmeryn and Lissa love you, so it's never any trouble," He finally averted his eyes so that they were trained on her, an unreadable expression pooling in his irises," You…You know you can always come to me, right?"

The white haired girl stuttered," O-Of course. I just don't want to intrude," She added shyly, knowing damn well that the route of her bashfulness came from her feelings for Chrom, not his family.

"Good," With that said, he softened," If you're still having trouble with them today, you should come over for dinner. We haven't had you in a while, and Emmeryn has been asking where you've been," Roping his sister in mixed with his coy smile easily broke down any argument she could form against it," We'll walk over together after school?"

Robin felt herself melt at that," Okay."

0-0-0

Today was the day!

Olivia's stomach felt like it was going to erupt in butterflies as she sat on the hood of Lon'qu's truck, waiting for said boy to arrive. He always offered to give her a ride to dance rehearsals after school if neither of them had practice, and he had yet to forget her. Usually the ten minute ride was silent, but Lon'qu had started to break out of his shell little by little over the past year. It was enough to give her confidence that he had some feelings for her, but not enough to outright ask herself.

It was Sumia, who heard her conundrum out during free period, that suggested Robin's help. She said that having another person reaffirm a plan did wonders with follow-through, and as terrified as Olivia had initially been, she had to admit that it worked. Sumia and Gaius, while not public yet, were clearly hanging around each other more than usual. It was only a matter of time before they became official.

The pink haired girl straightened up when Lon'qu's form came into her sight, wearing his favorite jean jacket over the school's uniform. He gave her a nod in acknowledgement when she sent him a smile, one of their many silent exchanges that became a routine for them over the years. Olivia's friends were lovely, but they were also so charming and outgoing. It was nice to be around Lon'qu, who was equally as shy and quiet as she was. Even without words, he seemed to understand what she was saying.

He opened the passenger side door for her before settling into the driver's seat and starting up the car. They exited the parking lot with an unfortunate amount of ease, starting off her mental clock: She had about ten minutes to ask him to the dance. However, the longer Olivia sat in the car, the more anxious she felt. How was she supposed to start up a conversation with Lon'qu? Their rides were almost always in silence, something she found comforting until this moment.

Olivia glanced down and bit back a squeak when she realized how much her hands were shaking. She couldn't back out now after all the hard work Robin put in! She would be letting everyone down, and Olivia promised herself a long time ago that a performer never left their audience unsatisfied.

It was now or never.

Without warning, Olivia burst," I have a crush on you, Lon'qu!"

The dancer was prepared for him to fall silent or take her confession to ponder, but she didn't expect her body to slam into the door of the car as the vehicle swerved to the side. A honk filled the air, followed by a string of angry phrases she wouldn't want her mother to hear as the car previously behind them sped by," G-Gosh. Lon'qu are you-."

Her voice caught in her throat when she noticed the state the poor boy was in; his face had erupted into flames, his eyes were wide open, and his hands were gripping the steering wheel so tight that his knuckles were white. Lon'qu spared her a quick glance before turning on his blinker to pull off the side of the road. It was only when they were safely parked that he dropped his head on the top of the wheel," Sorry. You caught me off guard."

"I-It's okay," Olivia stuttered, knowing that her cheeks were quickly going to match the same shade as her hair if she didn't get a hold of herself. His feelings for her clearly were not the priority at the moment, seeing that she had almost caused a car accident with her confession," Oh no-I shouldn't have sprung that on you-Gods, this is embarrassing..."

All he could manage was a tiny nod in response, and Olivia wasn't quite sure what to make of it. He was overwhelmed, that was for sure. She could hear his heart beating a mile a minute inside his chest. When Robin made the deal with him yesterday, he probably assumed that a date to the dance was going to be all he received. Unloading her true feelings on him may have been too much too soon.

Olivia turned her gaze back onto her hands to give him what little space she could. She should have been more considerate, now that she was thinking about it. Lon'qu had confided his connection with Ke'ri, a poor girl who was murdered almost a decade prior to that point, a few weeks after Robin left. Olivia and Robin used to walk home together from school, and due to the sudden disappearance of her from their lives, the dancer was adamant that she would be fine leaving alone. In turn, he insisted he escort her. She hadn't understood it completely then, thinking that Lon'qu believed she was too weak to fend for herself. Now she knew it was because he was scared he'd lose her too.

Despite knowing each other for years prior, Olivia felt that was the definitive start of their friendship. He had placed a lot of trust in her by confessing his darkest secret, and she in turn paid it by being there to listen. Even when he wasn't speaking, Olivia was always paying attention. It was the little details, like the way his lips curled up when he found something amusing or how he took the slightly longer way home to pass by the fries stand, that made her fall in love with him.

Olivia peered over in concern, deciding now was as good a time to check in as any," I'm sorry if I scared you."

Lon'qu brushed his head out of her vision, probably hiding the fact that his own flustered nature had not yet dissipated," It's okay. I…," He swallowed thickly, his eyes just barely peeking out to glance at her," I'm glad you did."

This was not the outtake she was expecting," You…You are?"

"Yes, because I…," The brunet gathered up all of his courage to face her head on," I harbor the same feelings for you, Olivia."

Seeing the impulsivity was on her side today (other than the near death experience she had almost caused), Olivia threw caution to the wind and leaned over the gear shift to capture his lips in a soft kiss. He nearly pulled away at first in shock, but stopped himself just before he could break apart. The dancer wasn't able to suppress her squeak when he tentatively leaned forward to deepen the kiss, reaching one hand out to loosely cup her face. She could feel his skin trembling against hers, and she was positive that she was shaking as well. In any other situation, she would have pulled herself away and tried to fan the heat off her face while stuttering excuses. But this was Lon'qu, and she was only now realizing that being in his arms made her feel like the biggest star in the world.

Lon'qu was the first one the break apart, his lips puckered and breath heavy. Olivia let out a tiny giggle at his bashful expression, her blush growing with his small smile," You…," His voice came out husky, and he needed to take a deep breath to compose himself," You need to get to dance class."

"Dance class?" She replied softly, her mind still trying to regain its coherence," Oh! We should go together!"

Just as he had put himself back together, Lon'qu's face heated up again," You wish for me to go to dance class with you?"

"N-No!" She slapped her hand into her face, her mortification flowing off in waves. Olivia knew that it was silly to feel self-conscious around Lon'qu, especially after what they had just done, but that didn't stop the fact that she had just said something really stupid," I'm sorry. I meant the dance. I mean-," She bashfully dropped her hands in her lap," Would you go to the Prom with me?"

He coughed abashedly," If that's what you would like."

Her heart leapt with joy, even if he wouldn't look her in the eye as he accepted. Olivia shyly reached forward and took his free hand, squeezing it lightly," That is what I would like."

"Then it's settled," Lon'qu glanced at the clock, his frown becoming more apparent," I apologize. It seems that you are late for your class."

"That's okay," The pink haired girl replied, secretly proud at herself for not stuttering. She took this as motivation to push forward," Why don't we spend the rest of the day together?"

The Kendo Captain's eyes flickered from their interlocked hands to her own irises before turning the key back on in the ignition and pulling away. She didn't need him to answer to know that he agreed with her idea; she could tell by the gentle smile on his face.

* * *

**Lots to unpack here! You came in to see what couple got together next and ended up with part of Robin's emotional backstory! Yay? I mentioned in the previous chapter that Robin was in the system, hinting a little bit about her relationship with Validar. That will only get more added on, so I want to keep it a little vague for now. Today's chapter revolved a little more around Robin's relationship with one of her foster parents, Flavia, and how her leaving that house affected her (in ways she doesn't even know). **

**Now that that's out of the way, let's talk about possibly the best ship (in my humble opinion) in Fire Emblem: Olivia and Lon'qu. They're both shy, they're both close to the Kahns, they can both be swordmasters, and they both don't make sense at all as Inigo's parents (which makes his flirtatious nature hilarious). Lon'qu and Olivia are the two people I almost always pair together to the point where I don't really ship either of them with anyone else. I mentioned last week that I am drawn to opposites attract couples (like Gaisumi), but this is my biggest acceptation. I hope I did them justice!**

**Writing that Kendo Match Scene was my favorite part of this chapter by far. Of course Robin wouldn't want to back down until she physically couldn't fight anymore. I feel like that's the type of person she is; Super loyal to her friends, though she pretends she doesn't care. Robin and Lon'qu's friendship dynamic is also one of my favorites, so their interactions were fun to write! Chrobin is cute as always, and I like sliding these little chemistry scenes into every chapter. It kind of gives them a spotlight because they don't really get an entire chapter devoted to their relationship (yet?). **

**Anyway, thank you guys for reading! I hope you enjoyed!**

**-Uprisingdragon**


End file.
